1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connection device for making electrical connection between a memory card and an electronic apparatus such as a computer, the device having a mechanism for drawing the memory card into the apparatus when in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Memory cards are electronic components usually comprising a substrate card with electronic chips and circuitry thereon, the memory card being pluggable to a computer and acting as a module for storing programs, providing memory space, releasing the identity of the user, and other such applications. The increasing compactness of electronic components and assembly thereof has led to increasing the number of applications and therefore the use of memory cards. In order to facilitate widespread use of memory cards, certain standards have been developed, for example the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard that defines, inter alia, the connection interface and external dimensions of the cards. To this date, there are three standard PCMCIA cards, type 1, type 2 and type 3.
Connection of memory cards to computing equipment has been effectuated by loading the card into a spring loaded inserter/ejector mechanism and manually pushing the card into the computing equipment, whereby an end of the card projects out of a face of the computer. Due to the high speed data transmission in the electrical circuitry of the memory card, there is a radiation of electromagnetic noise which could effect other computing equipment in it's proximity. Additionally, electrostatic or electromagnetic disturbances from the exterior of the computer could create undesirable noise for the memory card. In order to overcome this problem, one could load the memory card on a caddy and push the caddy into the machine such that the card is fully enclosed by the exterior walls of the computer which have a conductive layer acting as a faraday cage, the card therefore protected from external electromagnetic and electrostatic interference. There would however be a portion of this caddy projecting out of the computer face, which is not ergonomic and preferably avoided, as the caddy may get damaged, especially when the caddy is in the card receiving position. The known manual inserter/ejectors, must also be manually operated to eject the memory card from the computer. The latter is less desirable than a means electronically controlled by the computer in order to avoid inadvertent extraction of the card whilst it is being used, or to avoid stealing of the card by an unauthorized user, this being much simpler to control electronically.